The texturing and highlighting of eyebrows is an old art, and many products are available on the market to provide for fuller, more textured eyebrows. Each of these products, however, suffers from frustrating defects.
A first application method and system employs brushes that are used to apply pigmented powder and wax. In many kits, the brushes are short in the handle (approximately 2 inches in length) and thus do not allow for the proper placement of color; that is, such short brushes are not user-friendly. A brush should ideally be long enough to place color and to measure angles for proper placement of the color. If the brush is of adequate length the brush may be used as a measuring tool for the application of color, being used to mark three points that may then be filled in to make the brow: straight up against the nose for the inside corner of brow, than towards the peak diagonal to the iris of the eye, and than a little further to the corner of the eye. The brushes that are long enough usually are not hard enough to properly push the pigment into the brow or onto bare skin. This leaves the user with an unattractive, improper application.
Secondly, the brushes are usually sold in kit form containing a powder and wax duo. The powder is used as a pigment to color the eyebrow or skin, while the wax is used as a sealant for the powder. The consumer is expected to use the same brush for applying both the powder color and the wax for setting the color on bare skin, brow hair or both for holding the brow hair in place. This dual use of the brush, however, creates problems. The wax builds up on the brush leaving it slippery and clumpy, and thus unsuitable for proper application of color. The wax itself may leave a clumpy and unattractive result to the brow hair. Additionally, on bare skin the wax may leave a shiny, ruddy application.
Other kits exist that employ pencils. These pencils need to be sharpened, which can be tedious for the user. They are either wax-based or powder-based. The wax-based pencils need to be pushed hard onto the skin for a suitable application of pigment. The pigment in wax-based pencils typically does not adhere well to the skin, which creates a drawn on, shiny, ruddy (reddish) application. As a result the user is left with an unattractive, unnatural result. Powder-based pencils are softer, but the user still has to draw the application on. This method does not allow for hair-like strokes or pushing pigment into the skin. Thus, pencils are not suitable for building texture.
A third kit and related method of applying color to the brow is in the form of a mascara-type wand that has a formula that is pumped from a tube. The formula can either have pigment or be clear. The user brushes the brow hair to place color, or clear formula to set the brow. This application usually dries and gets clumpy, and moreover tends to flake when dry. It can thus appear like dandruff in the eyebrow. Also, people with sparse or bare brows cannot use this application because the brush heads are usually bristly and can cause irritation to bare skin.
Yet another type of application comprises a tube containing a pigment that has a handle with a sponge-like applicator. This application is messy and does not adhere to the brow hair or skin properly.
Users of such makeup products have long been frustrated by these drawbacks, and yet despite this long-felt need in the field no one has yet arrived at an eyebrow makeup application method and system that does not suffer from at least one of the above-mention drawbacks. Accordingly, there is an immediate need for an improved system and method for applying makeup to eyebrows.